Ending support of public folder

[ae2rigc]

Just heard from dropbox that support for the public folder is ending.

---------

As a result, we’ll soon be ending support for the Public folder. Dropbox Pro users will be able to use the Public folder until
September 1, 2017. After that date the files in your Public folder will become private, and links to these files will be deactivated. Your files will remain safe in Dropbox.

If you’d like to keep sharing files in your Public folder, you can create new shared links. Just make sure to send the new URLs to your collaborators.

--------

It is one of the most useful features of the service for me as I use it to get links to single files that I can send to people without setting up shared folders and requiring them to have dropbox accounts.

(Save file to my public folder locally, syncs, right click, get publick link, paste. Doesn't get any easier than that.)

It's also useful for bb style forum posts where you can link to images with an easy tag.

With the public folder support being removed, is there going to be an alternative solution to allow easy public sharing of single files?

[Mark]

This isnt exactly new news I'm afraid.

And it was replaced a LONG LONG time ago by shared links which are pretty much Public Links BUT allowed in any location within your Dropbox: www.dropbox.com/help/167 (as per the link in the email)

Edit: apologies I have received my email now. I believed initially this was a change to the way HTML files were rendered not that they were going completely. 

[narikaa]

This I fear is disasterous news for anyone (like me) who has used the public folder links to post images on web forums.

Web forum software, it seems when using the [img]....[/img] codes , accepts the "https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com......." format of current public folder links , but rejects the "https://www.dropbox.com......" format of current links from any other folder.

This means the horrible prospect of not only the loss of many years of input across multi forums (with the upcoming negation of 'old' links to the Public Folder) but the need to seek out alternate on-line storage for the future!

[ae2rigc]

@Mark  - Thanks but the behaviour is different.

@narikaa - I hadn't considered the loss of already posted conent, that is indeed an issue

[LGM]

That's a real shame.
I've been praising Dropbox for this very efficient way of sharing images in forums for a few years now.
There is absolutely no reason to give up the Public folder.
The only point here it to get some advertising for dropbox services through users shares .. really lame.

Dropbox used to be so clean and easy and .. well, let's find some other online hosting service then.

[Mark]

I'm not sure how its different behaviour in the examples you gave?

You can also create any link using the format above to get a BB-type link by changing the www. to dl-dropbox...

[LGM]

Mark: "You can also create any link using the format above to get a BB-type link by changing the www. to dl-dropbox..."

You are right !

So maybe we just have to slightly modify the Dropbox finder extension to provide an extra menu entry "Public Share" which would create the share link following this syntax ?

[Mark · Accepted solution]

LGM - the issue is that people are abusing it and causing issues for everybody by getting the Dropbox domains blacklisted which cause emails to fail and downloads to be blocked by firewalls etc.

In terms of changing the extension, sorry, no idea how you would do that!

[narikaa]

One wonders how Photobucket 'et all' get away with providing 'BB code ' options to their shared links

[Mark]

You still can with Dropbox.... as has already been said.

And the issue isnt the BB links. Its the fact Public folders can host HTML pages at present. They've also been a depreciated feature now for many years. Its hardly an unexpected move